L3 Officially Reveals Wolf Family of Mini Cruise Missiles
On July 17, L3Harris officially revealed their Wolf family of launched effects which aims to address the growing market for mini-cruise-missile style systems that are being sought by the US Army and USMC. The system is intended to extend the range of attack helicopters out to ~370km which is a stunning increase in range from the 8km range of the Hellfire and even the Spike-NLOS interim Long-Range Precision Munition which ranges out to 32km. This extended range enables attack helicopters to remain relevant in the expansive Indo-Pacific region where the distances and advanced air defenses will make the traditional role of attack helicopters dangerous. Wolf is also intended to be capable of ground and ship launch making this a true multi-domain capability.
The Wolf family is made up of two distinct but collaborative variants. The first variant, Red Wolf, is in essence a small cruise missile intended to perform kinetic attacks against targets ranging from trucks to destroyers. The second variant is Green Wolf, an electronic attack version capable of jamming and acting as a decoy. More critically the Green variant is able to detect, identify, and geolocate emitters then transmit this information to Red Wolfs who are able to engage the source of the emissions. This would allow ‘Wolf Packs’ to autonomously assail air defense and communication networks over long ranges.
L3Harris’ announcement is the first time the Wolf has been revealed to the public after years of quiet acknowledgement by the Department of Defense which tested the system at the US Army’s EDGE 21 exercise as reported by Aviation Week back in 2021. Here the system was launched by an MQ-1C Gray Eagle to be used as a communication relay showing another capability of the multi-role system. The first kinetic test was announced in February 2025 by the USMC along with the first image of the Red Wolf mounted on an AH-1Z. The missile was being tested under the Long-Range Attack Munition (LRAM) program which seeks to develop requirements for a future Precision Attack Strike Missile (PASM) program of record which the USMC hopes will enable its helicopter fleet to hold advanced targets at risk in the Pacific.
The Wolf was also marketed towards the US Army Launched Effects requirement with the system described as a ‘pack of launched effects’ with promotional video showing an animation of deployment from an AH-64E. The desire for Launched Effects to accomplish kinetic, electronic warfare, ISR, and communications tasks aligns with the concept of operations the Wolf family was designed around.
